Boreholes are drilled, especially in mining operations, to provide the engineer or geologist with information regarding the rock strata at depth. These cores are stored to provide a permanent record of the geology below the surface.
The core samples must be stored in such a way that they are readily accessible and identifiable as the geologists and/or engineers may have to refer to them from time to time. To this end, various types of core trays have been provided to store the core samples. The core trays have elongated grooves into which the core samples are received for storage. As these trays can be stacked one upon the other, they provide an efficient system for storing large quantities of cores.
Core trays were originally made from timber as exemplified by the items disclosed in South African Design Registrations Nos. 79/0368 (Malherbe), which has rectangular section grooves, and 80/0660 (Northern Cape Engineering), that has grooves the bases of which are hemi-cylindrical in shape. The core trays could also be vacuum moulded as shown in South African Patent No. 82/0367 (Proglo) and corresponding South Design Registration No. 81/0059 that also have grooves which are hemi-cylindrical in shape. Other core trays having similar grooves are described in South African Patents No. 82/7926 (Jones) and 83/6256 (Pieterse).
I have found that the above mentioned trays suffer from a major disadvantage. Because the grooves in the trays are hemi-cylindrical or have hemi-cylindrical bases they are very limited in that either the core is a close fit in the grooves which makes them difficult to remove or manoeuvre or they are not firmly held therein being able to move along the base thereof.
Further it is often difficult if not impossible to see the core samples in a stack of trays as the lower trays are covered by the trays thereabove.